ALANA Policy Partners Group Established

From left; Rosa Tock, CLAC, Gwen, Hector Garcia, CLAC, Michael Fondungullah, MBCC, Michael Collins, CBM, Art Weddington, SACDC, Tony Genia, Yvonne Cheung Ho, Nghi Huynh, MMMC, Hyon Kim, Ezell Jones, State Sen. Satveer Chaudhary, and Dr. Bruce Corrie. (Contributed photo by Mshale Newspaper)

AAP staff report

ST. PAUL (Feb. 5, 2010) – OneMN.org, a collaborative of the dynamic and creative capital of African, Latino, Asian, and Native Americans (ALANA), launched its Policy Partners program at the State Capitol event last week.

ALANA leaders from a wide range of communities and groups participated in the launch of the initiative to invites legislators to commit to the ALANA vision and investment agenda and also to create an ALANA Caucus in the Minnesota legislature.

State Senator Satveer Chaudhary (DFL-50), one of the longest serving ALANA legislators in the Capitol, was the first to sign on to the ALANA Investment agenda and the pledge to work towards the formation of the ALANA Caucus in the legislature.

Minnesota legislators will be contacted in the next two weeks to sign on the investment agenda and join the ALANA Caucus.

The OneMN and ALANA groups had previously held a conference and drew up strategies together. In the short term, they seek to convene meetings of ALANA legislators to discuss community priorities.

In the medium term, they work to support efforts to get an accurate Census 2010 count. In the long term the want to convene listening sessions with Gubernatorial candidates.

Brett Buckner, a Partnership Specialist at the U.S. Census Bureau, took the lead to contact with ALANA legislators and arrange for a meeting at the State Office Building on the first day of the legislative session.

The OneMN.org vision for Minnesota is a globally competitive state with a highly educated and skilled workforce, successful entrepreneurs with private and public institutions open and accessible to all. To realize this vision OneMN.org offers an ALANA Investment Agenda to close the gap between the ALANA and other communities and to remove barriers to success.

As an ALANA Policy Partner of OneMN.org policy makers agree to work to implement the ALANA investment agenda:

• Pre-k to graduate school quality education for all

• Affordable, accessible and culturally competent health care for all

• Affordable and culturally appropriate housing

• Comprehensive immigration reform

• Access to resources and markets (public and private) for ALANA entrepreneurs

• Accessible and affordable transit systems

• Welfare program leading to self sufficiency

• Eliminating racial disparities in the criminal justice system,

• Representation at all levels of government and private institutions

• Workforce training programs for youth and adults

• Use public spending to grow ALANA businesses and employ ALANA workers

• Youth leadership and career development programs

• Integration into Jobs and Businesses of the new Green/Bioscience economy

Rationale

ALANA was formed with the realization that its communities will make up a greater share of the future workforce, and currently makes up a critical number of the workforce at both the high skill and essential workers. It will make up a greater share of the future tax base and contributors to social entitlement programs.

ALANA business firms are one of the fastest growing segments of the local economies at the state, city and regional level. ALANA consumers represent a buying power of over 12 billion dollars.